Clever first-graders create traps for wily leprechauns

Melissa Kinsman has her own opinion on where leprechauns reside: "They live in the woods."

James Rennert, 7, thinks leprechauns live in caves. Asked if he's seen one, James said, "No, but I've seen the footprints. He is a sneaky guy whose skin is green. He keeps his gold in a cauldron."

All the talk about leprechauns stemmed from a project the first-graders did to coincide with St. Patrick's Day. They each used recycled materials to build "leprechaun traps," which were to be left overnight in the classrooms, when leprechauns would likely be out looking for gold.

"My dad did the stairs. He's a worker and builds houses," said Melissa, whose box had a gold-painted staircase that led to a "trap door" and is baited with a miniature pot of gold.

Noting that leprechauns like "shiny things, things that glitter and often disobey signs," Melissa affixed a sign to her trap: "Do not come in."

Sean-Hector Toland Matos, a 6-year-old with red hair and a smattering of freckles, said he's "half-Irish, half-Dominican and half-something else," and that if leprechauns do exist, they are "green, have one eye and are very tricky."

"He makes shoes and gets paid with gold. They live in Ireland," he added.

The Berry School students aren't the only ones with varying theories about leprechauns. In "Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry," William Butler Yeats writes that the name "leprechaun" comes from the Irish "leith brog," meaning the one-shoemaker "since he is generally seen working at a single shoe."

Others believe the name came from "luachama'n," meaning pygmy, according to an article, "A Comprehensive Guide to Little People" by Ickey Woods.

One thing everyone seems to agree on is that leprechauns are never seen, although Berry student Brendan Mitchell thinks it might be "funny" to actually come across one. It's possible, he reasoned, since, "They live in a forest and there are forests in Connecticut."